A poem is just a poem
Until you invoke the divine.
Then it’s a prayer.
Stanzas are just stanzas
Until you add music.
Then it’s a song.
A voice is just a voice
Until we sing together.
Then we’re a chorus.
A heart is just a heart
Until it joins another.
Then it’s a family.
A life is just a life
Until it finds meaning.
Then it’s an example.
An idea is just an idea
Until it’s put in motion.
Then it’s a movement.
A breath is just a breath
Until we breathe in greatness.
Then it’s inspiration.
The world is just the world
Until we transform it.
Then it’s history.
A poem is just a poem.
Until it’s read.

Take my money, and charter a boat.
Sail out on a warm clear night, under a full moon.
Treat it like a wedding party
After the bride and groom have left.
Invite all the people who have me in common
To forget about what’s on shore for a while.
Order plenty of pizza and champagne.
Tell everyone to bring their guitar.
Make sure there is lots of singing,
Hugging of strangers, and lovers sneaking away for kisses.
You can say nice things about me if you want,
But I would rather you say nice things about each other
So that everyone knows all the ways they are loved
While still alive.
Celebrate each other until morning
(You might want to order coffee as well)
And when the sun rises (I promise it will),
Hold on to each other.
Live a moment of Beautiful Awful Truth
And toast the unnumbered days you have left.

What would happen,
If we popped open the stoppers to our souls,
And let compassion for the whole world in?
And I mean the *whole* world:
Starving children,
Euthanized dogs,
First-time orgasms,
The sheer magnitude of war,
The irrational hatred of the sound of other people chewing,
The birth of deformed children,
Really great fucking music,
Unbridled passion,
Art beyond words...
Would we cry uncontrollably
Until the earth is a tropic of tears?
Would there be orgies in the streets,
Jumping up and down on yellow couches,
Impulsive declarations of love and
Unlimited eternal puppies?
Perhaps we would go mad:
Tear our eyes out after seeing too much world
And walk in never ending circles,
Pulling at our hair and mumbling about antennas.
Would we all sit around as if stoned,
Contemplating the beauty in each paint chip and beetle,
Acutely aware of each tick of the clock?
Would our houses be full of the needy,
No one be lonely, hunger be gone,
And reality TV disappear forever?
I can't see it happening, honestly.
No one can handle that much humanity all at once.
It's better, then, to rely on each other, my love.
Let's prick each others' hearts, just a little;
Create a bit more closeness with each kiss,
A bit more understanding with each conversation,
A bit more love with each look in each others' eyes,
And instead of letting the world rush into us,
Let's let our compassion overflow to the world in a trickle,
Starting with each other, breath by breath.